Tom Brady still obsessive about details at 35

Posted by Darin Gantt on August 3, 2012, 11:39 AM EDT

AP

Tom Brady turns 35 today.

And while it’s hard to imagine what to get the man who has everything (lingerie model wife, beautiful kids, Super Bowl rings, great hair), the Patriots are still in awe of the fact Brady’s pushing the same way he did at 25.

In fact, when things aren’t just right in practice, he still gets angry at the smallest missteps, showing a side few see from the seemingly always cool Brady.

“He’s his biggest critic,” wide receiver Wes Welker told Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald. “As much as coach stays on him and everything else, he’s his own worst enemy sometimes when it comes to that

‘It’s great to see. He cares, and he wants to be great, and he is great. That’s probably why.”

Part of the reason Brady’s great is his attention to small details. He used to work on technique each offseason, but with the death of his mentor Tom Martinez, he sought out former major league pitcher Tom House, who has also worked with Drew Brees and Tim Tebow on campus at Southern Cal.

‘‘He was really good showing up here on campus at USC. But these guys, guys like Tom, there’s one common denominator. They’re always trying to get better,” House said. “The one thing with the superstars that I’ve been blessed to be around, they’re all trying to get better every day. That’s why they’re at the level they’re at because of that commitment to excellence.

“There’s not much we’ve done with Tom. But it’s that 1-2 percent that he’s looking to get better with that makes him special.”

House said Brady was an “information seeker,” looking specifically for any small mechanical issue that might hold him back, whether it was the position of his left arm, or how he opens his front side when he throws.

Of course, that doesn’t mean he’s perfect (despite appearances). He had what was described as his worst day of camp, throwing an interception and “several errant balls.” That led to what Welker described as showing his “human” side, something not too many people see.

The fact he’s so meticulous isn’t the only reason he’s so good, but the attention to fine detail is easy to overlook.

And with the fascination we often have with lesser quarterbacks, it’s good to know Brady doesn’t take things for granted the way the viewing public often does with him.

There are so many comments that try to degrade either Brady, the Patriots or both. Tom Brady, BB, Robert Kraft and the rest of the Patriots organization are highly successful. Any objectively minded, unbiased person could easily conclude that they may be the best run organization in pro football. As such, the negative comments come off, plainly… as envious, hollow and transparent. Jealousy and envy are very ugly human conditions which are best kept in check. It’s really very ugly and doesn’t reflect well upon people when such negative and petty emotions are expressed like that.